Magus of Stonewylde

by Kit Berry

-The Stonewylde Series, Book 1-

(Weymouth: Moongazy Publishing, 2006)

Paperback, 312 Pages, Fiction

From the Cover: She felt terror prickle through her body and ripple down her arms. Something was stirring in the shadows below. She knew with absolute certainty who the victim was … When Sylvie and her mother are invited to Stonewylde in deepest Dorset, they believe their troubles are over. Stonewylde is a place of standing stones and earth energy, and idyllic refuge ruled by Magus. “I offer you fulfillment,” he promised. “You will lack for nothing.” But all is not quite as it seems. There’s another side to Stonewylde; a darker side where brutality is rife. One boy alone understands why Sylvie’s been brought here. He heard her sharp intake of breath and saw something in her eyes flinch as Magus’ power entered her … This is a story of pagan ritual and ancient alchemy: of passion, cruelty and a prophecy to be fulfilled.

My Review: This review is a first on this blog. Last month, I ran a post entitled A List of Books Labeled the “Next” Harry Potter. So, imagine my surprise when three of the authors on the list posted comments on the post all agreeing with my comments that the label “The ‘Next’ Harry Potter” is nothing more than publishing hype and that a book and author should be judged on their own literary merits and not as the “Next” Anything. One of those was British author Kit Berry, and … imagine my surprise when Ms. Berry offered to send me a copy of her first book, Magus of Stonewylde, to read and review. Of course I jumped at the chance. (She even signed the copy she sent me. (Insert fanboy giggle here!)) When the book arrived in the mail, the full import of what I had just done hit me. What happens if I hate the book? What do I do then? Of course, an author takes upon themselves a certain amount of risk when they publish a book … after all, not every author sets out to write (in the words of Roger Fox, a.k.a. Bill Amend, of “Foxtrot”) “a best-selling commercial smash, or an award-winning darling of the critics.” (The answer from Roger’s wife Andy, is to write “whatever’s in your heart” and that is what most authors do end up doing.) This is exactly what Kit Berry has done. Written something from her heart. Luckily for me (as a reviewer and a reader) Kit Berry has also written what is destined to be a “best-selling commercial smash” and an “award-winning darling of the critics.” In all honesty, I loved this book. (And I’m not saying that because I’m shilling for Stonewylde or because Berry sent me the book … I honestly loved Magus of Stonewylde.) From the moment that I first picked it up to read, I had a very hard time putting it down. It took me eight days to get through it, and the only reason it took that long is because I have been readying for the final in my Spanish class this last week. Now, what Kit Berry has done with Magus of Stonewylde is create one of the most amazing worlds and some of the most vibrant and fully-fleshed characters that I have encountered in my reading career. I found myself completely caught up in the triumphs and tragedies of Sylvie and Miranda; hating Buzz and rooting for Yul; cautious of Magus and wary of Mother Heggy. I loved every aspect of this book and am amazed at Berry’s boundless imagination. This is the first book in the Stonewylde Series. Book Two, Moondance of Stonewylde is out now, and on Samhain of this year (October 31, 2007) the third book, Soltice at Stonewylde will be published. The rub, however, is that the Stonewylde Series is – for now – only available in the UK. However, Ms. Berry was so kind as to inform me that Magus has been picked up by a U.S. publisher, is currently being printed … and will be available in U.S. bookstores and libraries in September. So, for now, if you are reading this in the U.S. and want to read Magus of Stonewylde, and don’t want to wait until September, you’ll have to order online. For my part, I highly recommend that if you are interested, you do find a way to get a hold of the book (either now or in September) … I promise that you will not regret reading Magus. This is a wonderful book. I, for one, am itching to get my dirty little mitts on a copy of Moondance of Stonewylde and see what happens to Sylvie and Yul and Miranda and Magus next.